The present invention relates to a mailing system comprised of a unique mailer with an insert and particularly relates to a mailer with insert which can be readily and easily formed with minimum paper usage and readily adaptable to present manufacturing techniques.
Mailing systems often employ two or more plies of paper or other materials with one or more of the plies being folded about foldlines extending in various directions to form an envelope or mailer. Lines of adhesive are applied on the various parts and at various locations, oftentimes in correlation with perforation lines, so that the mailer, once formed, may be readily opened by a recipient. As a result, such mailers frequently use paper in excess of the quantity actually needed or optimum for a particular mailer. Additionally, a substantial number of mailers employ die-cut or window patch configurations in order to display address information. Problems in the manufacture and formation of such windows, as well as centering of the inserts on which address information is provided for display in the window, frequently occur. Their solutions oftentimes cause excess paper usage.
The present invention overcomes these and other problems and disadvantages of prior mailing systems and provides a novel and improved low-cost mailer which uses a minimum amount of material, mostly paper, and simultaneously avoids any necessity to provide die-cut or window patch configurations in the mailer. Particularly, the present invention provides a mailer, which contains an insert which may be one or more plies of paper, folded or unfolded. The mailer envelopes the insert by using a combination of two webs consisting of a single paper web and a web of transparent material, for example, glassine. To form the mailer, the paper web is folded about two spaced, generally parallel, longitudinally extending foldlines spaced one from the other a distance slightly greater than the width of the insert to form a pair of flaps which overlie the insert. Thus, the flaps and the central web portion defined between the foldlines of the single paper ply lie on opposite sides of the insert. The flaps, however, have longitudinally extending edges which overlie the insert but which are spaced one from the other. That is, when the flaps are folded over the insert, the edges of the flaps terminate short of one another to define a gap therebetween.
The second web of transparent material is disposed between the flaps and fills this gap. Two substantially continuous streams of adhesive are provided along the end margins of the flaps adjacent their edges such that the flaps may be folded to overlie with the second web of transparent material along its opposite longitudinally extending end margins whereby the flaps and the second web are secured one to the other. Additional transversely extending glue patterns or lines of adhesives are disposed along the side margins of the paper web at opposite ends of the mailer to secure end margins of both of the flaps and the second web to the end margins of the central web portion of the first ply. The insert in a preferred embodiment thus has a length shorter than the length of the central web portion such that the end edges of the insert are inset from the transverse glue lines along the opposite ends of the mailer. Additionally, lines of perforations extend transversely through the opposite end margins of the first and second webs adjacent opposite ends of the mailer inset from the end marginal glue lines but outwardly of the end edges of the insert. That is, lines of perforations are provided in the end margins of the flaps and the second web in overlying registry with lines of perforations in the central web portion and between the end edges of the insert and the transverse lines or patterns of adhesive. In this manner, the recipient of the mailer may tear along these registering lines of perforations at either end of the mailer to open the envelope so that the insert can be removed.
The second web may be formed entirely of a transparent material, such as glassine, or, alternatively, a portion of the transparent material may be inked to provide opaque portions where it is desirable to prevent viewing of certain information on the insert through the transparent second web. The address information is, of course, provided on the face of the insert in opposition to the transparent portion of the second web whereby the address information is exposed to view.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the insert may be coextensive in length with the mailer. In this form, transverse lines of adhesive are provided at the opposite end margins of the mailer between the central web portion or back of the envelope and the insert, as well as between the insert and the overlying flaps and the second web. Additionally, transverse lines of perforations through the flaps and second web lie in registry with lines of perforations through both the insert and central web portion such that the recipient, when opening the mailer, tears off the end margins along the lines of perforation at opposite ends of the mailer in order to free and thereby enable removal of the insert.
Thus, it will be appreciated that only a single paper ply is used and that no paper is wasted in the manufacture of the present mailer. That is, the single paper ply is formed from a generally rectilinear sheet into the above-described configuration without any trimming or cutting and thus all of the paper is used optimally to form the mailer. Additionally, the transparent second web similarly requires no cutting other than to cut it to the appropriate rectilinear size to span the gap between the edges of the flaps. As a result, this envelope construction is readily amenable to current manufacturing methods.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a mailer comprising a single paper ply foldable about, generally parallel, transversely spaced longitudinally extending, foldlines to form a pair of flaps extending generally toward one another to overlie a central web portion of the ply and having longitudinally extending edges terminating short of one another to define a space therebetween the paper ply having generally parallel edges along opposite sides thereof forming end edges of said flaps and said central web portion at opposite ends of the mailer. A closure web disposed between the flaps closes the space therebetween and overlies the central web portion, the closure web being coextensive in length with the central web portion and having a transparent portion the closure web having end edges in substantially parallel relation to and substantially in registration with the end edges of the ply at respective opposite ends of the mailer. An insert is disposed in the mailer with the flaps and the closure web on one side thereof and the central web portion on another side thereof and has address information for viewing through the transparent portion of the closure web. Means are provided for securing the flaps and the closure web one to the other.
In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a mailer comprising a first generally rectangular paper web having longitudinally spaced, generally parallel end edges and foldable about, generally parallel, transversely spaced foldlines inset from the spaced generally parallel end edges of the paper web to define an envelope back and opposed first and second folded flaps overlying portions of the envelope back with the distal edges of the flaps corresponding to said end edges transversely one from the other the paper web having generally parallel, longitudinally extending, edges along opposite sides thereof forming end edges of the flaps and the envelope back at opposite ends of the mailer. A second web is disposed between the folded flaps and spans the space between the distal edges of the flaps the second web being substantially coextensive in length with the paper web between its opposite side edges, whereby the second web, the flaps and the envelope back have registering end edges at opposite ends of the mailer. Means are provided for securing the second web and the flaps one to the other, and additional means for securing opposite end edges of the flaps and the second web to the respective opposite end edges of the envelope back to close the envelope at its opposite ends are also provided. An insert is disposed in the mailer having the envelope back on one side and the flaps and the second web on another side and carries address information. Means are carried by the second web to expose to view the address information carried by the insert through the second web.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved mailing system having a mailer and an insert wherein the mailer is formed of a first paper ply and a second transparent ply and which first ply uses a minimum quantity of paper to envelope the insert, while simultaneously the transparent second ply is provided to complete the mailer and provide a viewing window for address information contained on the insert, thereby eliminating the need for die-cut or window patch configurations.
These and further objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon reference to the following specification, appended claims and drawings.